As more processing throughput is required from modern microprocessors, it is often at the expense of power consumption. Some applications, such as mobile internet devices (MIDs), ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPCs), cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and even laptop/notebook computers, may benefit from processors that consume relatively little power. However, achieving relatively high processing throughput at relatively low power is a challenge, involving various design trade-offs, depending on the usage models of the computing platform.
One approach to reducing power in a computing platform when there is relatively little activity, is to place the processor in a low-power state. However, placing a processor in a low-power state or returning a processor from a low-power state may require a non-trivial amount of time. Therefore, it may or may not be worth the time required to place a processor in a low-power state or to return the processor from a low-power state. Furthermore, not all processes and tasks that are run on a processor require the full processing throughput of the processor.